Chris Eubank Jr: A Legit Contender Or A Career Spent Piggy-Backing His Dad’s Name?
Chris Eubank Jr has returned to the forefront of the boxing conversation in recent weeks after it emerged that he is among the leading contenders to be Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s next opponent.
Eubank (33-3-0 24 KO) is one of the most recognizable names in British boxing, thanks in no small part, at least initially, to his father, Chris Eubank Sr, who is one of the finest fighters his country has ever produced.
Junior has carved out a respectable career of his own, claiming minor world and interim titles while defeating a succession of solid names over the years. However, whether his career is quite as impressive as he thinks it is, or his standing within the sport is at the level he believes, is up for debate. It’s certainly nowhere near the level of his father’s.
So, as Eubank continues negotiations to fight Canelo – a bout and payday all boxers around that weight class dream of – we figured it was the ideal time to look closer at his career and determine whether he has ultimately lived up to the hype.
Early Life And Career Of Eubank Jr
Eubank’s boxing journey cannot be discussed without first mentioning his father. He is the oldest of four children from Eubank Sr’s first marriage, and Senior’s second eldest having had a son from a previous relationship.
Unlike most fighters who come from challenging backgrounds and circumstances, Eubank attended private school in the UK – an education afforded by his father following a career that included world titles in two divisions.
Senior, consistently ranked among the best boxers in British history, leveraged his fame into a successful television career, ensuring the Eubank name remained in the public eye long after hanging up his gloves.
Eubank Jr began boxing from an early age and moved to the United States with his brother Sebastian to continue his school education and begin his amateur career. He developed good amateur pedigree, winning the Nevada Golden Gloves title at 165lbs and the Amateur Golden Glove title for the Western States.
Having accumulated an official amateur record of 24-2, Eubank turned professional in November 2011 amid a heightened sense of intrigue and excitement. Could the son of the great Chris Eubank similarly take over the world? He looked and sounded just like his dad, possessed similar charisma and a convincing confidence that suggested we were about to enter a second Eubank era.
Saunders Halts The Eubank Train
The early pro years were a breeze for Eubank, who raced to an 18-0 record within the first three years. But it was a padded record. Despite his imposing strength and freakish athleticism, Eubank’s boxing skills were never tested by the long list of journeymen, and it wasn’t until his 17th fight that he was scheduled for a 10-round bout.
Still, Eubank had done enough to build up his profile to earn a shot at the British, Commonwealth, and European middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders. It certainly helped that a rivalry between the pair had been brewing over social media.
In November 2014, unbeaten Saunders represented by far Eubank’s biggest test, and during the first half of the fight, the champion was so superior he threatened to expose Eubank as a one-dimensional bully.
However, the challenger came on strong for the second half of the fight, increasing his punch output and going in search of a knockout. Ultimately, Eubank left it too late and suffered his first defeat on a split decision.
While the final five rounds hinted that he could operate at a higher level, doubts were raised regarding his potential as a future world champion.
Rebuild Results In Belts – But World Title Remains Elusive
Following the defeat to Saunders, Eubank remained steadfast in his belief that he was a world champion in the making, and he bounced back immediately by claiming the biggest title of his career to date.
Just three months after his bout with Saunders, Eubank became the WBA’s interim middleweight champion with a 12th-round stoppage of Dmitrii Chudinov. He successfully defended the title once, in November 2015, with a second-round TKO win over Tony Jeter.
Following a grudge fight against Gary O’Sullivan, whom he retired after the seventh round, Eubank became the British middleweight champion with a brutal victory over Nick Blackwell, who was rushed to hospital and placed into an induced coma.
One defense of the British belt followed – a fourth-round TKO of Tom Doran – before Eubank had his first minor world title opportunity in February 2017. He duly took it by stopping Renold Quinlan in the 10th round to become the IBO’s super-middleweight world champion.
He made two defenses, first against former world champion Arthur Abraham, who by July 2017 was well past his best, and an outclassed Avni Yildirim in October 2017.
Eubank was then presented with another opportunity to prove that he belonged at the highest level when he fought British rival and WBA world champion George Groves in February 2018. However, once again he fell short on the biggest stage as Groves claimed a unanimous points win.
At this stage, there were major doubts from within boxing about whether Eubank had what it took to become a world champion and a serious force at either middleweight or super-middleweight. The confidence he portrayed was starting to look like delusion, particularly during a prolonged spell when he refused to take on a permanent trainer, convinced that his skillset required little improvement.
Eubank continued to chase the biggest fights, including entering negotiations with pound-for-pound star Gennady Golovkin, but it was Eubank’s demands – instead of the superstar world champion – that proved unreasonable.
Familiar Story Continues
Eubank entered the third stage of his career after the defeat to Groves still determined to become a world champion. He put together a six-fight win streak, including a points win over former world champion James DeGale, who was approaching retirement, to become a two-weight IBO champion.
However, once again Eubank suffered defeat when faced with a step up in quality. Taking on former world champion Liam Smith in January 2023, Eubank experienced the first knockout loss of his career when Smith stopped him in the fourth round.
Eubank managed to exact revenge in the rematch eight months later, stopping Smith in the 10th round, although the Liverpool fighter later claimed he was drained and had suffered an ankle injury midway through the bout.
Prior to fighting Smith the first time, Eubank was close to facing family rival Conor Benn, whose father Nigel had fought Chris Sr during their respective heydays. However, the catchweight fight fell through at the very last minute when it emerged that Benn had failed drug tests.
What’s Next For Eubank?
Eubank recently signed with British-based promoters Boxxer and its CEO Ben Shalom revealed that talks are ongoing over a potential bout with Canelo.
“I think he knows it’s now or never [to fight] a lot of the names that have been talked about throughout his career,” Shalom told BoxingScene. “He also wants world titles. It’s good to get someone at that stage of their career, with their name built, ready for the big fights. He’s a realist and he knows that the next 18 months to two years are where all his big fights need to happen.”
However, in what sounds like a familiar pattern from throughout Eubank’s career, it appears his own demands will dictate whether the fight goes ahead.
“As usual, it comes down to money,” Shalom said in relation to the Canelo negotiations. “Chris has a certain expectation for a fight like that; he’s earned a huge amount during his career, and he’s got other big fights being offered to him but it’s definitely a fight that he wants. Negotiations are ongoing but it all comes down to whether it makes financial sense for him.”
Whether he has fully earned it or not, Eubank remains one of the most marketable fighters in the game, particularly in the UK and Europe, although how much of that is because of family legacy and how much is from career achievements is up for debate.
For Eubank and his team, though, if they are able to leverage his standing to land a fight with Canelo, that is all that matters. If the bout goes ahead, Eubank will have the biggest of all big opportunities to prove that he is a worthy world champion in his own right, and not only Chris Eubank Sr’s quite good son.
